Author: INDEPENDENT

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsMcDonald’s has agreed a further set of measures with Britain’s equality watchdog to protect the fast food chain’s staff from sexual abuse.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) had originally signed a legal agreement with McDonald’s to prevent sexual harassment in 2023, following concerns about how complaints made by staff were handled in its UK restaurants.The original agreement was due to end in 2025, but this has now…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsUK interest rates are widely expected to be kept at 4% but policymakers are “deeply divided” about the threat of inflation, economists say.The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will make its next decision on interest rates on Thursday.Many economists expect borrowing costs to be kept on hold following signs that inflation is continuing to cool, and as the Bank awaits measures announced in November’s autumn Budget.However, some experts,…

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter One of Shakespeare’s most notorious villains loses much of his malevolence in this starry reimagining of Othello. Here, Machiavellian Iago is played by well-loved screen actor Toby Jones, who gives him all the looming menace of a peevish middle manager leaving a pass agg note on the work fridge. When this Iago makes racist jokes about David Harewood’s statesmanlike Othello, the audience laughs loudly – uncomfortably so,…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsMore than 100,000 obesity deaths could be prevented over 20 years if firms were forced to put nutrition warning labels on the front of food packs, experts have said.Researchers from the University of Liverpool found that warning labels for foods high in fat, salt or sugar – as implemented in several other countries – could save lives across England and cut the number of overweight people.In 2016, Chile…

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Who wants to watch another show about the climate emergency? That’s the question actor and playwright Simon McBurney (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Jane Eyre) and choreographer Crystal Pite (Betroffenheit, Revisor) asked themselves when they decided to collaborate on a project in 2020. The topic felt “urgent and necessary”, but the pair knew audiences were bored to tears of being lectured about Earth’s impending destruction. And so they…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsThe first of the biggest order of electric heavy goods vehicles for online giant Amazon were being launched into service on Tuesday.Amazon said it would eventually have 160 eHGVs, the largest number of electric trucks in its global transportation network.The vehicles will transport products between Amazon logistics hubs across the UK.The company is also adding 800 new electric vans across the UK and extending pedestrian deliveries to London’s…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsA Cabinet minister has warned there will be “consequences” from recent weaker economic forecasts at this month’s Budget as he declined to repeat Labour’s promises on tax.Defence Secretary John Healey insisted no decisions had been made on the final shape of the Budget, due to be delivered by Rachel Reeves on November 26.But he added that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) now saw much worse “scarring” on…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsA union has claimed more than 30 UK staff of Rockstar Games – the developers of Grand Theft Auto – have been sacked in a “union-busting” move by bosses.The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has said it appears that staff at the company’s base in Edinburgh had been sacked for “trade union activity” and claimed that the dismissals were “unlawful and retaliatory”.The union said that all…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsBusiness Secretary Peter Kyle has pledged his support for British industries with an announcement of £420 million energy savings, but declined to comment on whether they would face tax rises in the upcoming Budget.On Friday, the Government confirmed it was going ahead with plans to increase the discount on electricity network charges for businesses in the most energy-intensive sectors from 60% to 90%.The move, which was proposed earlier…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsStock prices in London closed mostly higher on Wednesday, as the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision comes closer.“Risk appetite remained firm heading into a busy 48-hour period for markets, where major central banks decide on interest rates, technology companies will report their quarterly results, and more to the point, (US President Donald) Trump will meet (Chinese premier) Xi Jinping in a meeting expected to last three hours,”…